LLL Looks Forward
Cathy Lindstrom
Hello to all our PebbleCreek neighbors! Here’s hoping you are surviving our summer weather with your sanity semi-intact. I want to keep you up to date on our planning at LifeLong Learning (LLL).
Our Zoom team is finishing its training and we will be offering a class later in the summer on how to use Zoom, a new technology for communicating with people remotely. Directions will be provided on how to log in to the class for those who register.
LLL’s summer and fall plan continues to be focused on offering programs by live presentations via Zoom, and by streaming options that will be on our website. The site has a new section, Virtual Learning, and there are some fabulous tours of locations worldwide available simply by clicking on a link.
Another interesting area on the website has links to the TED Talks that we have presented in the past. There is a wide range of topics to satisfy your need to learn and you can get there by going to lifelonglearningatpc.org/ted-talks.html.
Since no one can accurately predict the future, what I can tell you now is that LLL will continue to offer Zoom educational programming through the end of the year. Looking beyond that, once our facilities and the theater open again, we will likely be going to a mix of offerings, including live presentations in the theater, along with programming via Zoom for people who are still worried about the virus and their exposure risks. Another advantage of keeping digital programming is that it offers those of you who live elsewhere part of the time, the opportunity to continue to participate in education online.
Everything we plan is contingent on what is happening across the country with the pandemic and what is happening in Arizona and in our community. Our goal is to continue to provide you with the quality programming you have come to expect from LLL, in whatever medium that best protects your health and safety.
PC Reads Begins Again, Virtually
Lorna Bray
LifeLong Learning (LLL) is excited to offer its first virtual PebbleCreek (PC) Reads book discussion on Aug. 13 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. We will be discussing This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. If you liked Where the Crawdads Sing, you’ll want to be part of this book discussion. This Tender Land is a novel about four orphans on a life-changing odyssey during the Great Depression.
Not familiar with PC Reads? It is LifeLong Learning’s monthly drop-in book club. The program is free, but registration is required. You can register on the LifeLong Learning website at www.lifelonglearningatpc.org. If you do not have an LLL account, you can create one on the website. The participant limit is twenty for this book and there will be a wait list.
Subsequent book discussions will be held the first Thursday of the month at the same time in September, October, and November. View future titles on the website. Registration always opens 30 days prior to the meeting date. Our hope is that we will be able to return to in-person PC Reads book discussions starting in 2021. To add your name to the monthly PC Reads email list, send an email to
Survey Results Are In—Virtual Meetings Arrive
Emily Grotta
As it became clear that the pandemic was going to last into the summer and beyond, LifeLong Learning (LLL) invited all PebbleCreek residents to take a survey to help LLL decide how to present its programs in the fall.
We learned that close to 80 percent of responding PebbleCreek residents were already using Zoom or other programs to meet with family, take classes, and do other activities online. More than 70 percent said they would be comfortable in a virtual/online learning situation, but there was resistance to returning to the theater or the LLL Center without social distance precautions.
In light of these findings and the uncertainty as to when the Renaissance Theater would be available for lectures, we decided to offer virtual programs this summer via the Zoom platform. We will start with free classes given by previous instructors and then, as we gain experience in this new medium, we will bring other lecturers to you, with a small fee to cover our expenses.
If all this makes your head spin and you’re not sure you’re ready to dip your toes into the virtual learning world, we’ve created a guide to Zoom to help you, which you can find in the Virtual Learning Center on the LLL website.
We thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey. You can find the full results online at www.lifelonglearningatpc.org.
Immortality?
Bill Nee
This month, we have a powerful TED Talk to share with you. There are more than 3,400 TED Talks on TED.com and this talk, “Sleep is your superpower,” by Matt Walker will share the science of slumber. Maybe not immortality, but definitely longevity.
Sleep is an interesting topic that affects all of us. Do we need more sleep or less sleep as we age? How does sleep (or lack of sleep) affect aging, memory, and learning? In what ways is our cardiovascular system affected by sleep? What are the scientific observations as people go on and off daylight savings time?
With COVID-19, we have all been more aware of the importance of a strong immune system and are looking for ways to improve it. What does research say about how sleep impacts our immune system? What is the impact on our genetic makeup if someone gets six hours of sleep vs. eight hours?
Find out tips for getting a good night’s sleep and what you should do when you are tossing and turning and just can’t sleep. All this and more will be covered in this month’s TED Talk, “Sleep is your superpower.”
Classes Learn to Zoom
Carole Korzilius
In keeping with social distancing requirements, Lifelong Learning (LLL) classes this fall will be online. Free classes on Zoom will enable all interested residents to join classes such as Goodyear History, Energy Transition, Classic Beauty (even when masked), and the Future of Fossil Fuels later this fall. If we are still keeping our distance in the new year, additional classes will be offered on Zoom.
Many of us have already used Zoom on a regular basis, but for those who haven’t or those who feel they could learn more about using Zoom, there will be a Zoom 101 class for you. It is a great way to stay in touch and it’s free, fun, and easy! Watch for future details and dates on the LLL website, in upcoming LLL LifeLines, and in the PebbleCreek Post.
In this hands-on Zoom 101 class you will learn how to attend a LifeLong Learning session and how to set up your own session where you can have a virtual visit with family and friends or attend a meeting. You will learn how to share pictures, mute your microphone, and close your video. You will learn the chat function and how to provide feedback to a speaker without having to say a word.
Zoom is just a tool, but it allows you to reach out and stay connected!
LLL Contact Information
* Website: www.lifelonglearningatpc.org
* Email: [email protected]
* LLL Center hours: closed until further notice